Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
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Changes in Society
Jewish Society
The Market Driven Community
Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Innovative Approaches to Judaism & Jewish Life
A Brief History of Jewish Winnipeg
May 5, 2016
Prepared by: Faye Rosenberg-Cohen,
Planning and Community Engagement Director
frcohen@jewishwinnipeg.org, 204.477.7422Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Society has changed. Tremendous leaps in industrialization and technology have
changed the way people build communities and civil society since the first settlements
in North America. The way individuals relate to each other and to organizations has a
significant impact on how communities need to adapt The following is the fourth in a
series of papers prepared for use as background for the various community planning
efforts undertaken by the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg in 2016.
Contents:
Key Trends 3
1. Population 4
2. Age 4
3. Geography 5
4. Seniors 6
5. Jewish Poverty 8
6. Families 9
7. Intermarriage 9
8. Immigration 10
9. The PEW Report 10
Bibliography 12
Page 2 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Key Trends
Age distribution: The immigrant population is primarily composed of families with
children, and there is an observable phenomenon of families having another child or
children after getting settled in their new country. As a result, the average age has
decreased over the last fifteen years.
Population Diversity: The changing face and diversity of the community is clearly
reflected in several statistics including:
- 25.4% of those who are married are intermarried. While this number is not
significantly different than ten years earlier, the number for those under the age
of 30 is a striking 75.6%
- Approximately 20% of the community moved to Winnipeg from another country in
the last 15 years.
- The number of unattached individuals aged 25-44 increased by 36% from 2001
to 2011.
Jewish Geography: Geographically there is a continuing 40 year trend from north to
south and more dispersed in neighbourhoods that are not traditionally “Jewish areas”.
Income and the Cost of Living Jewishly: The majority of Jewish Winnipeggers live in
middle income households. While average income is not increasing, the cost of Jewish
memberships, tuition, and fees has been increasing. It is notable that lone parent
families are generally disadvantaged in the area of income as compared with two parent
families, and the number of single parent families rose by 45% from 2001 to 2011.
Poverty: Poverty is comparable to the Canadian Jewish community levels overall.
However note that the child poverty rate in the Jewish community doubled over ten
years to 20% in 2011.
The Jets and the Jews – the Winnipeg Economy: While there is nothing Jewish
about the Jets, the excitement that is evident in the community over the return of NHL
Hockey to Winnipeg is reflective of the optimistic economic outlook for Manitoba. A
diverse economy and generally low rates of unemployment continue to make Manitoba
a good place to live. Alternatively, there is some evidence that Winnipeg is not entirely
immune to downsizing and some layoffs in specific areas.
Page 3 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Most of the information provided in this paper is available due to the national initiative of
Jewish Federations of Canada/UIA to analyze the data about Jewish communities that
can be extracted from the Canadian Census/National Household Survey. This happens
every ten years to maximize the investment in obtaining data and several years to
analyze the information, enabling communities to identify significant trends and
changes.
1. Population
Overall, Winnipeg has the fifth largest Jewish community in Canada, with the total
Jewish population from the NHS numbering 13,690 in 2011, comprising 1.9% of
Winnipeg.
Jews are the twelfth largest ethnic group, and the third largest by religious affiliation in
Winnipeg.
2. Age
The median age of the Winnipeg Jewish community decreased slightly from 2001 to
2011. The percentage of 15-24 year olds in the community has increased slightly and
the percentage of 65+ has decreased slightly to 43.1 years.
2011 Age Distribution, Jewish Winnipeg,
from NHS
19% 17%
0-14
15-24
13%
25-44
45-64
65+
30%
21%
Page 4 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
3. Geography
Geographically the community continues to move farther south and become more
dispersed than 40 years ago.
Overall, 55% of the community lives in the broad southern area of the city (River
Heights/Tuxedo/Lindenwoods/Charleswood), and another 17% in the northern part of
Winnipeg (Garden City and the like). New population trends that are significant from the
2011 National Household Survey are the 9% of the population who live in areas of the
city such as St. Vital, Transcona and East Kildonan, indicating a much more dispersed
community than ever before.
Winnipeg Jews by Neighbourhood, NHS 2011
Rest of Wpg
Other South Central Maples
2% Garden City
4% 3%
Other NE, South, East 8%
Old North End
9% 2%
Crescentwood / Ft.
Rouge
Charleswood / St.
10%
James / Assiniboia
8%
North River Heights
East St. Paul /
3%
Riverbend / Amber
Trails
4%
Lindenwoods /
Whyte Ridge South River Heights
7% 15%
Downtown /
Wolseley
3%
Tuxedo
22%
Tuxedo (14.7%) and South River Heights (13.2%) have the highest density of Jews. Six
of fourteen geographic areas increased in Jewish population, the largest gain was in
Lindenwoods/Whyte Ridge. Garden City’s Jewish population decreased by 1,420
individuals.
Tuxedo has the highest number of children, of teens, of baby boomers and almost a
third of Jewish seniors. South Rivers Heights has the largest number of Jews 25-44.
Page 5 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
4. Seniors
The number of Jewish seniors has decreased, contrary to projections done a decade
earlier. But as Baby Boomers come into the 65-74 age group, the number is again
expected to increase.
It is notable that not all seniors are counted in the NHS. The decrease would lead to the
question “Where did all the seniors go?” How many reside in Assisted Living facilities
which were not counted in the NHS? How many are moving to other cities after
retirement to follow their children? How many are living in non-Jewish Personal Care
Homes (PCHs are also not counted in the NHS)?
The shift from North End neighbourhoods is significant.
2001 Elderly by geography
400
355 350 355
350 325 330
290
300
250 225
190 North
200 185
South
150 135
95 Other
90
100 75
45 45
50 25 30
10
0
65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90+
2011 Elderly by geography
450 410
400
350 330
305
300 275
250
250 North
200 South
150 105 Other
95 90
100 65 75 75 75 65 70 70
50
0 0 0
0
65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90+
Page 6 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Dispersion of Elderly
Expanded definitions of
2001 Definition of north/south North/South/Other
North 480 19% North 550 21%
South 1,685 65% South 1,870 72%
Other 415 16% Other 160 6%
2,580 2,580
Elderly by Neighbourhood
Total Jewish
Elderly
North Expanded District
South Definition
Other of North/ 65+
South/
Other
North North Maples 20
North North Garden City 390
North North Old North End 70
South South Crescentwood / Ft. Rouge 455
South South North River Heights 45
South South South River Heights 385
South South Tuxedo 800
Other Other Downtown / Wolseley 30
Other South Lindenwoods / Whyte Ridge 100
Other North East St. Paul / Riverbend /
70
Amber Trails
Other South Charleswood / St. James /
85
Assiniboia
Other Other Other NE, South, East 80
Other Other Other South Central 50
Total Winnipeg CMA 2,580
Page 7 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
5. Jewish Poverty
The level of child poverty is 20.2%, almost double that of 2001. This bears further
exploration including any correlation to the rise of single parent families, generational
poverty, an observable rise in addictions in the JCFS caseload, etc.
One in seven elderly Jews is poor, including 19.8% of those in the Crescentwood/Ft.
Rouge area, 14.4% of those in Tuxedo, and 14.1% of elders in Garden City. These are
all areas with concentrations of seniors in apartment building and condominiums.
Poor Winnipeg Jews by Neighbourhood, NHS
2011
Other South CentralRest of Wpg
7% 0% Maples Garden City
Other NE, South, East 3% 8%
6% Old North End
2%
Crescentwood / Ft.
Charleswood / St. Rouge
James / Assiniboia 14%
18%
North River Heights
1%
East St. Paul /
Riverbend / Amber South River Heights
Trails 12%
6%
Lindenwoods /
Whyte RidgeDowntown /
7% Wolseley Tuxedo
5% 11%
Page 8 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
6. Jewish Families
The make-up of families affects program planning in determining market and marketing
factors. For instance there are more single adults in the North American Jewish
community than there were 50 years ago based on changes and society and this fact is
driving new kinds of programming for single adults. In the Winnipeg Jewish community:
44.6% increase in Winnipeg Jews living in single parent families, equaling one in
seven children. Lone parent families are often an indicator of lower income, child
care and transportation challenges to get kids to programs.
45.4% of all the Jews who live alone are seniors. This factor has often driven the
need for outreach to ensure seniors are not isolated. Transportation has been a
challenge for twenty years, and despite strides in funding (through the Tallman
Fund of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba) continues to be a funding and
availability problem for seniors on fixed incomes.
73% of Jews have married at least once by the age of 45, up from just 5.2% at
the age of 25. Later marriage is thought to account for lower birth rates than the
general population. The birth rate is consistently under 2, while the level required
for community sustainability is 2.1.
7. Intermarriage
What size is the community that we serve if we count non-Jewish family members?
Jews marrying non-Jews has been a fact for several generations. The continued
evidence of this phenomenon does not imply, as was thought at what one time, that
children will not be identified as Jews. In the Winnipeg Jewish community:
25.4% of those who are married are intermarried. While this number is not
significantly different than ten years earlier, the number for those under the age
of 30 is a striking 75.6%.
About one quarter of Jewish children under the age of 15 are growing up in
intermarried households. About a quarter are identified as Jews by their parents,
more than half have no religion and the rest have another religious affiliation.
Mothers have a significant influence on the religious affiliation of the child.
Page 9 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
8. Immigration
20% of Everyone: A recent report on the full experience with GrowWinnipeg, the
Federation’s strategy for building population and promoting immigration to the
community, highlighted the positive impacts of more than 5000 arrivals over fifteen
years. Notably more than 70% of those who came as MB Nominees with JFW
recommendations are not only living in the community but continue to be connected
with the Federation or JCFS in some way.
The full report identifies benefits, patterns of immigration, costs and future
considerations. The following are notable in the context of the full demographic profile of
the community.
In understanding our cultural makeup, it Is valuable to note that while the Jews of
Winnipeg before 2000 were primarily Ashkenazi and of Eastern European origin, 83.6%
were born in Canada. In 2011, one in every 5 Jews in Winnipeg moved to the
community from another country in the previous ten years. The diversity of language
and source countries is growing and evident in large events like the Yom Ha’atzmaut
celebration where the breadth of the community gathers in one place.
The impact of GrowWinnipeg has been significant. The arrival of more than 5000
immigrants to our community has contributed people, diversity, volunteers, donors,
active leaders, Jewish community professionals and vitality that is evident everywhere
in Jewish community.
9. The Pew Report
The PEW report, when it was released in 2013, had commentators around the world
sounding alarm bells. Some of the most learned and prestigious leaders and thinkers in
the Jewish world were and are foretelling the waning of non-Orthodox Judaism, the
shrinking numbers of Jews with weakening identification, and more. They may be right.
But there is a “glass half full” perspective.
The Pew Research Center released the report in October 2013 titled “A Portrait of
Jewish Americans”. Some of the highlights are indeed daunting:
A full 32% of Millennials (born after 1980) in the United States, who identify
themselves as Jewish in some way, do not identify as Jewish by religion.
The intermarriage rate for Jews who have married since 2005 is 58%, the overall
rate is 44%. For respondents who did not have a Jewish denomination, what the
report calls “Jews of no Religion”, the rate is 70%.
42% of respondents say that “Having a sense of humor” is part of what it means
to be Jewish while only 19% chose “Observing Jewish Law” as one of their
answers.
Page 10 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Only 56% “Jews by religion” responded “Very important” to the question “How
Important is Being Jewish in Your Life?” but 94% of all Jews “are proud to be
Jewish “.
37% of intermarried families are not raising their children as Jewish.
So “what is the glass half full of!?” you might ask. The arguments 40 years ago were
that intermarriage would decimate Jewish communities. But the prediction of our demise
was premature.
20% of intermarried families in the survey are raising their kids as Jewish and
another 25% are raising their kids as partly Jewish and another 16% are just
Jewish. That glass is actually 2/3 full!
All of the 32% of Millenials above identified as Jewish in some way, though not
as a religion.
Jews who are Jewish by religion are heavily involved in educating their kids in
dayschool and camps and supporting Israel.
70% of Jewish respondents participated in a seder last year.
And we can always remind ourselves that Canadian communities are different.
Out here in Winnipeg, we’re more connected than in most communities our size.
Clearly communities are going to need that Jewish sense of humour to get through.
There is a transformation happening in Jewish life and Jewish communities.
The changes may include the waning of Conservative synagogues as Daniel Gordis
suggests in his article “Requiem for a Movement”. But the rise of independent minyans,
online communities, modern Orthodox options and pluralistic approaches are not
insignificant. Michael Freund, in the Jerusalem Post, roundly criticizes Federations for
ignoring the alarm bells at the GA, but our Federation has approved a Jewish
Engagement Strategy and is working collaboratively with synagogues to connect more
Jews.
The responses needed to the alarm bells ringing in the media and Jewish community
board rooms all over North America will require a lot of listening to the Millennials and
young Jews. It will require new low cost models for being part of Jewish life. It will
require participative and engaging approaches to Judaism that involve smaller groups
more often than larger institutions.
Page 11 of 12Social Trends Briefing Papers -Jewish Winnipeg Demographics
Bibliography
Federation Benchmarking Project Summary Report Prepared for : Jewish Federation of
Winnipeg Board of Directors, June 2011, The Jewish Federations of North America
Jewish Winnipeg in 2021. Report of UIA Canada’s Demographic Task Force, October
8th, 2009 powerpoint
United Jewish Communities Report Series on the National Jewish Population Survey
2000/02, American Jewish Religious Denominations, February 2005, Jonathan Ament
Pew Research Center, 2013, A Portrait of Jewish Americans: Findings from a Pew
Research Center Survey of U.S. Jews,
http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/jewish-american-beliefs-attitudes-culture-survey/
2011 National Household Survey Analysis, The Jewish Community of Winnipeg
By Charles Shahar & Faye Rosenberg-Cohen
Jewish Federations of Canada/UIA
Part 1 Basic Demographics
Part 2 Jewish Populations in Geographic Areas
Part 3 Jewish Seniors
Part 4 The Jewish Poor
Part 5 The Jewish Family
Part 6 Intermarriage
Parts 7 & 8 – Draft only on Immigration
20% of Everyone : GrowWinnipeg 15 years later, A retrospective report, Jewish
Federation of Winnipeg, December 2015, Dalia Szpiro, Immigration Officer and Faye
Rosenberg-Cohen, Planning and Community Engagement Director
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